Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[tbtc]

Woolworhts became a very large sweet shop. Wilko is interesting - a few years ago it dawned on me that they were selling what Woolworths used to sell 40 odd years ago (for instance tools, kitchen ware and easy home improvement stuff). I actually want to go in and have a look but there is not one in Croydon !. My visits to Cardiff mean I drop in

It makes you realise just how terrible Gerald Corbett was, when you look at how many shops are thriving in the gap left behind by Woolies - when it closed I saw a lot of hand-wringing articles bemoaning the end of an era (and how you could never make a profit on such low-margin goods), but Wilkos seem to do so with much more attractive shops (and, yes, they have the Pick'n'Mix, as do a few other shops - although popular culture would give the impression that no more Pick'n'Mix was sold in the UK once Woolies closed down) - there's B&M and Home Bargains and The Range and Poundland etc - all competing for the same cost conscious consumers and all seeming to keep their heads above water (until Coronavirus, obviously - who knows how that'll affect things).

It's lucky that a failure like Gerald Corbett wasn't given any other important jobs (like, say, running the UK's rail infrastructure), when you consider what a bad job he did at Woolworths...

 

[LOL The Irony]

Woolworth's should've never failed.

On another note, what if Rover's Renault Espace 3 re-skin had gone ahead and the TCV & RDX60 have been made earlier, or would the Phoenix 4 still screw it up?

(Let's see if I've got the TCV & RDX60 right this time )

 

[Busaholic]

It makes you realise just how terrible Gerald Corbett was, when you look at how many shops are thriving in the gap left behind by Woolies - when it closed I saw a lot of hand-wringing articles bemoaning the end of an era (and how you could never make a profit on such low-margin goods), but Wilkos seem to do so with much more attractive shops (and, yes, they have the Pick'n'Mix, as do a few other shops - although popular culture would give the impression that no more Pick'n'Mix was sold in the UK once Woolies closed down) - there's B&M and Home Bargains and The Range and Poundland etc - all competing for the same cost conscious consumers and all seeming to keep their heads above water (until Coronavirus, obviously - who knows how that'll affect things).

It's lucky that a failure like Gerald Corbett wasn't given any other important jobs (like, say, running the UK's rail infrastructure), when you consider what a bad job he did at Woolworths...

All remarkably glossed over by Wikipedia - it's almost as though he'd written the entries himself.

 

[Peter Sarf]

It makes you realise just how terrible Gerald Corbett was, when you look at how many shops are thriving in the gap left behind by Woolies - when it closed I saw a lot of hand-wringing articles bemoaning the end of an era (and how you could never make a profit on such low-margin goods), but Wilkos seem to do so with much more attractive shops (and, yes, they have the Pick'n'Mix, as do a few other shops - although popular culture would give the impression that no more Pick'n'Mix was sold in the UK once Woolies closed down) - there's B&M and Home Bargains and The Range and Poundland etc - all competing for the same cost conscious consumers and all seeming to keep their heads above water (until Coronavirus, obviously - who knows how that'll affect things).

It's lucky that a failure like Gerald Corbett wasn't given any other important jobs (like, say, running the UK's rail infrastructure), when you consider what a bad job he did at Woolworths...

It seems as though some one had to start from scratch re-inventing the original winning formula.

And - Yes B&M, Home Bargains & Poundstretcher - Croydon only has Poundstretcher but Cardiff has all three....

Also The Range is remarkably good and is on the site of various Homebase branches from what I see. Homebase was loosing the plot. My very local Morrisons replaced a Homebase five years, or more, ago. That Homebase was dead - I sometimes thought I was the only customer in there. It was busier when it was a Texas then they merged with Homebase.

Anyone remember PayLess DIY (expensive) and DoItAll ?.

 

[The Lad]

I seem to remember The Boots Company tried to do a bit of diversification with those, and also for that matter Halfords.
An interesting experiment.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I seem to remember The Boots Company tried to do a bit of diversification with those, and also for that matter Halfords.
An interesting experiment.

I think WH Smith created DoItAll, Homebase was originally Sainsburys. I reckon B&Q cleaned up somewhat and I think had the same parent as Woolworths (Kingfisher Group ?).

 

[Mojo]

It seems as though some one had to start from scratch re-inventing the original winning formula.

And - Yes B&M, Home Bargains & Poundstretcher - Croydon only has Poundstretcher but Cardiff has all three....

Also The Range is remarkably good and is on the site of various Homebase branches from what I see. Homebase was loosing the plot. My very local Morrisons replaced a Homebase five years, or more, ago. That Homebase was dead - I sometimes thought I was the only customer in there. It was busier when it was a Texas then they merged with Homebase.

Anyone remember PayLess DIY (expensive) and DoItAll ?.

Focus DoItAll is how I remember it.

I do think it’s interesting how many of these “bargain” stores there are, especially in the same town. Whilst they are all staying open for business in the current restrictions, I do wonder if they will be able to sustain their current levels of expansion. Scunthorpe for instance has 4 Home Bargains, 2 Poundstretcher/Bargain Buys (they are the same shop and owned by the same people), and 2 B&Ms (.

Saying that I find that they are all good for their own things, there is a distinctly different range between the three.

 

[anamyd]

Focus DoItAll is how I remember it.

I do think it’s interesting how many of these “bargain” stores there are, especially in the same town. Whilst they are all staying open for business in the current restrictions, I do wonder if they will be able to sustain their current levels of expansion. Scunthorpe for instance has 4 Home Bargains, 2 Poundstretcher/Bargain Buys (they are the same shop and owned by the same people), and 2 B&Ms (.

Saying that I find that they are all good for their own things, there is a distinctly different range between the three.

I didn't realise it was Poundstretcher that brought back Bargain Buys; I assumed that it was former owner Poundworld (post-"One Below")

 

[Dai Corner]

I didn't realise it was Poundstretcher that brought back Bargain Buys; I assumed that it was former owner Poundworld (post-"One Below")

Bargain Buys is a chain of discount stores operating across the United Kingdom.[1] The chain was launched in 2013 by Chris Edwards Sr. and Chris Edwards Jr. the founders of the single-price chain, Poundworld.[2] The company headquarters are currently based in Kirby Muxloe, Leicester[3]. In 2015, TPG Capital purchased a majority stake in Poundworld and Bargain Buys. TPG Capital went into administration in 2018, with all Poundworld and Bargain Buys stores closed.

Later in 2018, Poundstretcher purchased the rights to the Bargain Buys name and began opening new stores nationwide.

Bargain Buys - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[superjohn]

Woolworths moved into music and video/DVD in a big way just as that market was about to fall off a cliff. They were also highly dependant on seasonal sales to prop themselves up. Wilko stores look very similar to the old Woolworths ranges but there are a few differences eg no music/video, toys, kids clothing etc. These are all markets that have massively moved online and caused the demise of many other retailers.

 

[krus_aragon]

Also The Range is remarkably good and is on the site of various Homebase branches from what I see. Homebase was loosing the plot. My very local Morrisons replaced a Homebase five years, or more, ago. That Homebase was dead - I sometimes thought I was the only customer in there. It was busier when it was a Texas then they merged with Homebase.

Anyone remember PayLess DIY (expensive) and DoItAll ?.

My nearest DoItAll has ended up as a branch of The Range, as it happens. I got the impression from the name that they sold kitchen fittings, so I didn't bother going in for ten years...

 

[Mojo]

Woolworths moved into music and video/DVD in a big way just as that market was about to fall off a cliff. They were also highly dependant on seasonal sales to prop themselves up. Wilko stores look very similar to the old Woolworths ranges but there are a few differences eg no music/video, toys, kids clothing etc. These are all markets that have massively moved online and caused the demise of many other retailers.

I love Wilko. Without a doubt my favourite shop and saved us a fortune as we bought pretty much everything to completely redecorate our house and garden from there.

I don’t remember what Woolworths was like in terms of the quality of their products, but Wilko paint and other DIY product is very high quality but not extortionately priced.

 

[Typhoon]

Focus DoItAll is how I remember it.

I think that was a merger - between Focus and DoItAll (two rival but underperforming DIY stores). Boots partly owned DoItAll at one stage. Ownership by WH Smith and Boots, what could go wrong?

I used to go in a DoItAll from time to time only because I could walk there. They had really irritating TV ads that I can still la-la to to this day!

 

[Typhoon]

When out doing essential food shopping, I noticed my nearest Mountain Equipment had a sign, 50% off everything, in the window. Its obviously closed now but is it struggling? Maybe it is just this store?

 

[Mojo]

When out doing essential food shopping, I noticed my nearest Mountain Equipment had a sign, 50% off everything, in the window. Its obviously closed now but is it struggling? Maybe it is just this store?

Mountain Warehouse? I’ve been under the impression they are struggling for a while (although they’ve only been going for about 22/23 years now) certainly closing all their shops for Covid-19 can’t help. I've seen this signage at their other shops, in London, so assume it's a nationwide promotion.

Would be a shame because I normally get their raincoats from there as they have a good range and very fair prices. In that regard they’re a bit like Sports Direct.com in that the prices on most stuff is almost always “reduced.”

 

[underbank]

Anyone remember PayLess DIY (expensive) and DoItAll ?.

I remember DoItAll - we fully renovated our house from there as it was the closest DIY shed. Good at the time (25 years ago) but over the years, it became absolutely hopeless. The wallpaper section/range nor the lighting section ever changed - decade after decade - same stock, same display. The stock ordering system was a relic of the dark ages. When we bought the house, I wanted a dremel multi-tool set - they had one on display in a locked cabinet but the shelf space was empty. I asked if I could have the one on display - no, so I asked if I could order one - no - all they could say was to keep coming in every Tuesday as that's when they got their order. After a few weeks of it, I asked again, only to be told to keep trying and no, they couldn't order one in. Eventually, I cornered the manager on one of her rare appearances on the shop floor, and she explained the order system is automatic and that they only order in when out of stock - I said they'd been out of stock for 3 months, so she looked on the system (first staff member ever to bother looking it up) and she said they had 1 in stock so it wouldn't be re-ordered - obviously, the 1 in stock was the one locked in the display case, so I asked if I could have it - no, she said, so I asked how on Earth anyone could ever buy one if the only 1 in stock wasn't for sale and it would never be re-ordered because they had 1 in stock - she finally realised what I was trying to say and relented and let me buy the one on display! Then when I went in the following week, there was a shelf full of the damn things! Another time, I ordered a dozen rolls of wallpaper for our large hall and landing - when I picked them up, they weren't all the same batch number so I had to take them all back. It's poor management and staff training that's the issue in a lot of cases, not the business model.

 

[gazthomas]

I remember DoItAll - we fully renovated our house from there as it was the closest DIY shed. Good at the time (25 years ago) but over the years, it became absolutely hopeless. The wallpaper section/range nor the lighting section ever changed - decade after decade - same stock, same display. The stock ordering system was a relic of the dark ages. When we bought the house, I wanted a dremel multi-tool set - they had one on display in a locked cabinet but the shelf space was empty. I asked if I could have the one on display - no, so I asked if I could order one - no - all they could say was to keep coming in every Tuesday as that's when they got their order. After a few weeks of it, I asked again, only to be told to keep trying and no, they couldn't order one in. Eventually, I cornered the manager on one of her rare appearances on the shop floor, and she explained the order system is automatic and that they only order in when out of stock - I said they'd been out of stock for 3 months, so she looked on the system (first staff member ever to bother looking it up) and she said they had 1 in stock so it wouldn't be re-ordered - obviously, the 1 in stock was the one locked in the display case, so I asked if I could have it - no, she said, so I asked how on Earth anyone could ever buy one if the only 1 in stock wasn't for sale and it would never be re-ordered because they had 1 in stock - she finally realised what I was trying to say and relented and let me buy the one on display! Then when I went in the following week, there was a shelf full of the damn things! Another time, I ordered a dozen rolls of wallpaper for our large hall and landing - when I picked them up, they weren't all the same batch number so I had to take them all back. It's poor management and staff training that's the issue in a lot of cases, not the business model.

Do we need a new thread for "reminisces about shops long gone" rather than those that may or not go out of business imminently?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Do we need a new thread for "reminisces about shops long gone" rather than those that may or not go out of business imminently?

I think one thing out of the last lot of posts is it provokes ideas as to why they go out of business. Should make guessing what is next to go easier ?.

Actually, on that note, I worry about Sainsburys. I was brought up on them and continued using them in Croydon but then they moved away from my locality. When I drive there I find they are often out of stock of things I want (not just recently of course but over the years). I also found that once they moved things around I was less inclined to try again and re-learn the layout. So I tend to avoid Sainsburys and i suspect other people have the same inclination.

 

[Meerkat]

Sainsbury’s shelf filling was appalling before the panic buying, and has been for a year or two - it often looked looted by about 5pm. They clearly cut costs too much.

 

[Busaholic]

I think one thing out of the last lot of posts is it provokes ideas as to why they go out of business. Should make guessing what is next to go easier ?.

Actually, on that note, I worry about Sainsburys. I was brought up on them and continued using them in Croydon but then they moved away from my locality. When I drive there I find they are often out of stock of things I want (not just recently of course but over the years). I also found that once they moved things around I was less inclined to try again and re-learn the layout. So I tend to avoid Sainsburys and i suspect other people have the same inclination.

As someone who was a retailer in a small way for nigh on thirty years, it's been building up for so long and the enforced shutdown is really the last straw in the tsunami of government refusal to engage with business rate reform, greedy and rapacious commercial landlords, and planning departments of local councils that fall for the blandishments of developers eager to add to the stock of unnecessary retail capacity at the expense of the high street and secondary shopping areas of towns and cities. Those same councils then made life difficult for anyone wanting to bring their cars near to the existing shops as against free parking at the out-of-town places.

 

[Typhoon]

Mountain Warehouse? I’ve been under the impression they are struggling for a while (although they’ve only been going for about 22/23 years now) certainly closing all their shops for Covid-19 can’t help. I've seen this signage at their other shops, in London, so assume it's a nationwide promotion.

Would be a shame because I normally get their raincoats from there as they have a good range and very fair prices. In that regard they’re a bit like Sports Direct.com in that the prices on most stuff is almost always “reduced.”

Spot on - Mountain Warehouse. Yes, it was a grave mistake ever to buy something there that hadn't been reduced or for which you got a discount (which used to be just about everyone), go in the following week and there is every chance there would be 3-for-2, or reduction in say skiing gear, or something.
You are right, decent prices, I used to getting walking shoes from there, not for long distance, but locally, did the job. That's all you want.
Stuff seemed to arrive by the crate-load from the People's Republic!

 

[Peter Sarf]

As someone who was a retailer in a small way for nigh on thirty years, it's been building up for so long and the enforced shutdown is really the last straw in the tsunami of government refusal to engage with business rate reform, greedy and rapacious commercial landlords, and planning departments of local councils that fall for the blandishments of developers eager to add to the stock of unnecessary retail capacity at the expense of the high street and secondary shopping areas of towns and cities. Those same councils then made life difficult for anyone wanting to bring their cars near to the existing shops as against free parking at the out-of-town places.

This chimes with the road tax thread. My view is councils have presided over the death of high streets. Not helped by the internet of course.

 

[gazthomas]

Do we need a new thread for "reminisces about shops long gone" rather than those that may or not go out of business imminently?

I guess the past is not a predictor of the future and we're in very strange times, making it more worthwhile keeping an eye on what's happening now.

 

[tbtc]

All this talk of DIY shops reminds me of the hunkiest bloke in Britain thirty years ago - does anyone else remember Texas Tom?

Woolworths moved into music and video/DVD in a big way just as that market was about to fall off a cliff. They were also highly dependant on seasonal sales to prop themselves up. Wilko stores look very similar to the old Woolworths ranges but there are a few differences eg no music/video, toys, kids clothing etc. These are all markets that have massively moved online and caused the demise of many other retailers.

Wilko have a reasonable selection of fairly cheap toys, lots of interlocking bricks (that aren't as good as Lego but appear very cheap in comparison) - it's mainly stuff for younger kids and mainly own-brand but I've bought a few things in there over the years.

The Entertainer and Smyths both do a good range of toys too - I think that Toys'R'Us suffered from the same problems as Woolies in that it was badly run rather than that there's no market there any more - neither were particularly welcoming stores (which is a negative when you consider that you generally want such discretionary shops to be fun/ colourful etc

 

[Peter Sarf]

All this talk of DIY shops reminds me of the hunkiest bloke in Britain thirty years ago - does anyone else remember Texas Tom?

Was there another phrase before that "Texas - the big one" iirc ?. Anyway there was plenty of advertising of Texas and then they were taken over by Homebase !.

 

[jon0844]

WH Smith is reducing the number of magazines all the time, but you're right that supermarkets are pretty much giving up.

This is where WH Smith makes money though; newspaper and magazine distribution (they get money from the seller AND the publisher), but as sales plummet and less independents, supermarkets etc buy from WH Smith (the ones that aren't already distributing themselves now) the more it hits WH Smith's other revenue streams.

Airports now offer free water airside, but people must remember their own bottles (and IME they do - leading to quite long queues after security to fill up) so that's another big money earner gone.

The current impact on travel locations means it will be hard for WH Smith. That's where they make their money, not the high-street stores that are near empty and now seem to run some of the time with one member of staff that sits in a back office with a 'call for assistance' button by the checkout (and requesting you use the self checkout). God knows how this prevents shoplifting on a huge scale, but at my local one there's rarely anyone inside at all.

 

[Hadders]

Smiths News (newspaper and magazine distribution) is a separate company to WH Smith (retail stores).

News and magazine sales are falling at a rapid rate though...

 

[Peter Sarf]

WH Smith is reducing the number of magazines all the time, but you're right that supermarkets are pretty much giving up.

This is where WH Smith makes money though; newspaper and magazine distribution (they get money from the seller AND the publisher), but as sales plummet and less independents, supermarkets etc buy from WH Smith (the ones that aren't already distributing themselves now) the more it hits WH Smith's other revenue streams.

Airports now offer free water airside, but people must remember their own bottles (and IME they do - leading to quite long queues after security to fill up) so that's another big money earner gone.

The current impact on travel locations means it will be hard for WH Smith. That's where they make their money, not the high-street stores that are near empty and now seem to run some of the time with one member of staff that sits in a back office with a 'call for assistance' button by the checkout (and requesting you use the self checkout). God knows how this prevents shoplifting on a huge scale, but at my local one there's rarely anyone inside at all.

Being Croydon there is a security guard hovering round the self check out tills. there is a back entrance + human till that gets busy when it is time for people to buy hope (the lottery tickets). WH Smith provides a corner cut for me so I see inside without needing to be there.

 

[PG]

WH Smith provides a corner cut for me so I see inside without needing to be there.

Maybe that's the key to their survival... two exits and providing a short cut; a certain percentage of traffic will buy something enroute!

 

[Busaholic]

Being Croydon there is a security guard hovering round the self check out tills. there is a back entrance + human till that gets busy when it is time for people to buy hope (the lottery tickets). WH Smith provides a corner cut for me so I see inside without needing to be there.

I take it the security guard is there so that customers don't inadvertently pay twice for the same item, which is a quite common occurrence in the one self service till at my local WHS